Day: June 1, 2024

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Gitex Africa: Winners of “RIYADA” Awards for Digital Excellence Announced


Marrakech – The first edition of “RIYADA” Awards ceremony for digital excellence was held Friday in Marrakech, at the end of the 2nd edition of Gitex Africa.

Initiated by the ministry in charge of digital transition and administration reform, this ceremony was marked by the presentation of RIYADA awards to several administrations for their exemplary initiatives in the categories “Open data”, “e-Registers ” and “e-services”.

The winners of this edition were selected on the basis of a rigorous evaluation, led by a committee made up of experts from high-level organizations who assessed the applications according to criteria of innovation, impact and contribution to the digital transformation of public administration.

Thus, in the Open Data category, five “Encouragement Prizes” were awarded to the ministries of economy and finance, justice, national education, preschool and sports, and national territorial planning, urban planning, housing and city policy, and Tourism, Crafts and the social and solidarity econ
omy, for their efforts in promoting transparency and access to data for citizens and businesses.

The national open data portal “Data.gov.ma” has more than 580 datasets published on the portal by 38 producers.

Regarding the “e-Registers” category, two Prizes of Excellence were awarded, the first to the General Directorate for National Security (DGSN) and the second to the ministry of equipment and water.

At the DGSN level, two e-registers stood out : the register of the national card and digital identity carrying the national identifier and all the identity data of people of Moroccan nationality, and the register of the residence card – a reference register of foreign people residing in Morocco.

Regarding the ministry of equipment and water, the winning register is that of the qualification and classification of companies which collects the data linked to the qualification certificates and classification of construction companies and laboratories and approvals of design offices.

In the “e-services” catego
ry, two prizes of excellence were awarded to the ministry of national territorial planning, urban planning, housing and city policy for its “Daamsakane” initiative – a housing assistance platform allowing Moroccan citizens living in Morocco or abroad to benefit from financial assistance to acquire a primary residence in Morocco.

The ministry of justice received an award for its “Mahakim” initiative – a portal offering several services including the delivery of certificates from the commercial register and criminal record as well as the certificate of Moroccan nationality.

A Jury Prize was awarded in the same category to the ministry of youth, culture and communication for its mobile application “Passjeunes”, which offers young people several advantages and easy access to numerous cultural, sporting, commercial, banking and other services throughout the national territory.

Speaking on this occasion, the minister delegate for digital transition and administration reform, Ghita Mezzour, said that the ministry
is working, in line with the High Royal Instructions, alongside all the different government departments to develop several digital transformation projects aimed at simplifying administrative procedures and facilitating access to administrative services.

She underlined that this Prize shows the importance of the impact of these digital innovations on the user’s experience, noting that Morocco has more than 600 public digital services, including 300 intended for citizens, 200 for businesses and 100 dedicated to the development of administration operations.

The “RIYADA” Award, which is open to all member administrations of the “E-gov and Digital Ambassadors Network”, seeks to encourage and reward the best digital administration initiatives with the aim of shaping a managed digital future by an e-government.

Held under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Gitex Africa has featured over 1,500 exhibitors representing more than 130 countries.

Initiated by Kaoun International, the international su
bsidiary of Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), and supported by the Digital Development Agency under the authority of the ministry of Digital Transition and Administration Reform, the exhibition is considered as the largest tech and start-up show in Africa.

Source: Agence Marocaine De Presse

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GITEX 2024: 3rd Smart Port Challenge Hackathon Wraps up


Marrakech – The closing ceremony of the 3rd edition of the “Smart Port Challenge 2024” Hackathon, an international competition dedicated to innovation in the port and logistics sector, took place on Friday in Marrakech, on the occasion of the 2nd Gitex Africa Morocco.

Organized by the National Ports Agency (ANP) and ‘PortNet’, in partnership with Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) of Benguerir, this event, which saw the participation of more than 290 startups from around the world, is part of efforts to strengthen collaborative innovation, research and scientific and technological development in the port sector.

Part of the ‘Smartport Innovation’ initiative launched by ANP and Portnet, this hackathon also highlights the most promising ideas and projects designed to equip the port community with innovative solutions to known challenges.

According to the organizers, these startups benefited from the mentoring of more than 30 renowned experts in each category to help them better understand the issues r
elated to the selected topics and to be able to deploy their solutions. This led to the presentation of 174 innovations in response to the three challenges in ‘Sustainability and environment’, ‘Port performance’ and ‘Port safety’.

Following evaluation of the various projects by the juries, three initiatives, namely ‘Port Surveyor’, ‘BlueDove’ and ‘Awake.ai’, were selected for proof-of-concept (PoC) development within the entities concerned.

Speaking at the ceremony, ANP Director General Nadia Laraki explained that this innovation competition calls on collective intelligence, designed to nurture a spirit of creativity in the port sector, adding that the creation of this Hackathon reflects ‘our ambition to build a forward-looking, modern and resilient port ecosystem’.

Noting that this third challenge focuses on safety, security and cybersecurity, Laraki pointed out that these themes are in line with the strategic orientations of the ANP, in accordance with the High Royal Directives, aimed at modernizing the
port sector and raising the Kingdom to the rank of the most developed nations in terms of maritime transport and connections.

They are among the strategic priorities of the 2024-2026 triennium, namely anchoring good governance practices, stimulating port operational performance, accelerating ecological, energy and digital transitions, and federating and converging the port community, she stressed, before concluding that this year’s awards are further proof of the dynamism and fruitfulness of ecosystems, which enable bridges to be built between research and foreign trade players.

For his part, PortNet Managing Director Youssef Ahouzi was delighted that celebrating the winners of this Hackathon had become a tradition on the agenda of port ecosystem players, noting that for this third edition, ‘we wanted to make the port community aware of the environmental issues and challenges facing the port sector, particularly in terms of performance and cybersecurity’.

These three issues (Sustainability and Environment,
Port Performance and Port Security) ‘challenge us all in more ways than one, as they are part of a vision for the future, in continuity with the advances made by Morocco in the port and maritime sector, under the wise leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI’, he said, dwelling on the results and highlights of this third edition, which kicked off on December 20, 2023.

For his part, Yassine Laghzioui, Managing Director of UM6P Ventures, emphasized the importance of the projects selected, stressing that the quest for innovation is synonymous with excellence.

Companies that challenge themselves on a daily basis are the ones that survive,’ he said, highlighting Morocco’s leadership in terms of port infrastructure in the region, and even worldwide.

He welcomed the collaboration between ANP, PortNet and UM6P, which illustrates that the various players are moving forward at the same pace, explaining that an innovation ecosystem cannot be developed without effective collaboration between all stakeholders (public
authorities, private sector, universities, etc.).

In a statement to MAP, Tarik Maouni, Director of Information Systems and Digital Transformation at the ANP, said that the hackathon was a collaborative ‘open innovation’ initiative, noting that the Kingdom’s ports were facing different kinds of challenges, hence the competition to find smart, intelligent answers to these challenges in the world of startups.

Through this initiative, the partners aim to boost economic performance and competitiveness by mobilizing the collective intelligence of the port ecosystem, in order to create optimal conditions for intelligent ports, by coordinating the actions of the various stakeholders to provide innovative solutions to major port challenges.

Source: Agence Marocaine De Presse

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Gitex Africa: Winners of ‘Supernova Gitex Africa’ Competition Announced


Marrakech – The winners of the “Supernova Gitex Africa” Award were announced on Friday in Marrakech, at the end of the eliminatory phase of the pitch competition organized on the sidelines of the 2nd edition of Gitex Africa.

On this occasion, the startup “Lupiya” from Zambia was awarded the Overall Winner Award worth $50,000. This fintech company’s project aspires to transform the financial landscape, from mobile money to blockchain-based platforms in Africa.

In addition, five finalists were awarded the $10,000 “Supernova Winner” prize in each of the following categories: “Al and Digital Cities”, “Cybersecurity”, “Digital Finance and Blockchain”, “Healthtech” and “Sustainability and Agritech”.

These prizes were awarded respectively to startups “RawMart” from Egypt, “FACIA” from the UK, “SecondStax” from Ghana, “DeepEcho” from Morocco and “StableFoods” from Kenya.

These projects aim to redefine Africa’s public digital landscape, ensuring a brighter, more digitally inclusive future by exploring the limitles
s possibilities of technology and the ways in which it can be harnessed to promote the continent’s growth and development.

The ceremony also saw the awarding of four “Special Mention” prizes of $10,000 to the winning semi-finalists, namely startup “InsightEX” (Mauritania) in the “Woman in Tech” category, “Chari” (Morocco) in the “Expand North Star Dubai Award” category, “SecDojo” (France) in the “Young CEO” category and ‘Flitto’ (South Korea) in the “International Startup” category.

Speaking to MAP, Gitex Africa sales manager Shifa Bagdadi pointed out that this is the biggest pitch competition in Africa, offering startups from different sectors the opportunity to become unicorn startups in the future.

She noted that the finalists had the opportunity to present their technological solutions and innovative expertise to an audience and a panel of judges made up of investors and experts from the startup ecosystem, expressing her enthusiasm for collaborating with more innovative startups across Africa.

Source
: Agence Marocaine De Presse

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Moroccan Sahara: Hilale Denounces Algeria’s Manipulation of its Mandate in Security Council


United Nations (New York) – The Permanent Representative of Morocco to the United Nations, Ambassador Omar Hilale, sent, Friday, a letter to the President and members of the UN Security Council in which he decried the instrumentalization by Algeria of its mandate in the Council to advance its biased position on the issue of the Moroccan Sahara.

‘The Kingdom of Morocco regrets that the briefing organized by the Security Council on May 30, 2024, on the situation of refugees and displaced persons in the world, was exploited by the ambassador, permanent representative of Algeria, Amar Bendjama, in his capacity as a non-permanent member of the Council, to advance the biased position of his country on the question of the Moroccan Sahara, as well as on the disastrous situation, which unfortunately characterizes the daily life of the populations sequestered in the Tindouf camps, in Algeria,’ underlined Hilale in this letter.

He noted that instead of addressing the eight humanitarian situations mentioned by the Unit
ed Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, during his briefing, the Algerian ambassador was the only one among the members of the Council, to focus on the issue of the Moroccan Sahara, although Mr. Grandi did not mention it, adding that the Algerian diplomat distinguished himself, once again, by demonstrating that Algeria is indeed the main stakeholder to this regional dispute, which it created and which it maintains in violation of the rules of good neighborliness and the legal, historical and political foundations of the Moroccanness of the Sahara.

Responding to the untruths conveyed by the Algerian ambassador during this meeting, which was reserved for members of the Security Council only, Ambassador Hilale stated that ‘Algeria does not in any way welcome the populations of the Tindouf camps. On the contrary, it has sequestered them against their will for more than five decades. It has used them in its policy of constant hostility against the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Morocco
‘.

He pointed out that “the Algerian ambassador claims that +these populations are awaiting action from the international community, and more particularly this Council, to allow them to voluntarily return to their land+. However, the reality is quite different”. ‘In fact, Algeria refuses them this right of return to their motherland, Morocco, although guaranteed by international humanitarian law, in particular, the 1951 Convention relating to the status of refugees,’ explained Hilale, emphasizing that Algeria categorically opposes the registration of these populations in flagrant violation of its obligations as a State party to the 1951 Convention and all Security Council resolutions since 2011.

The Moroccan ambassador continued by indicating that Algeria “has been violating, for half a century, the statutory mandate of the High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), by prohibiting it from registering these populations, as it does so in all refugee situations all over the world”.

He said that Algeria denies the
populations sequestered in the Tindouf camps the choice between the three durable solutions that international humanitarian law offers them: freely consented return, local integration or resettlement in a third country, reporting that in fact, the populations of the Tindouf camps are prohibited from leaving these camps which are surrounded by several security cordons of the army and Algerian services, in addition to the armed “polisario” militias.

In the same vein, Hilale stressed that Algeria “unfortunately politicizes international humanitarian law by making the return of the populations of the Tindouf camps, to the Moroccan Sahara, subject to a so-called referendum.” ‘However, voluntary return, like other durable solutions, is a humanitarian requirement which cannot be conditioned on any other consideration,’ he explained.

“The so-called referendum to which the Algerian ambassador refers is well and truly dead and buried by the Security Council and the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The Algeria
n ambassador pretends to be unaware that no Security Council resolution makes the slightest reference to a so-called referendum, and this for more than two decades,’ recalled the Moroccan diplomat.

He insisted that the one and only solution to this regional dispute remains the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative, within the framework of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Morocco, noting that this Initiative is considered serious and credible in all Security Council resolutions since 2007.

‘The Security Council recommends in all its resolutions, the political, realistic, pragmatic, sustainable and compromise solution,’ he further indicated, specifying that in its latest resolution 2703 of October 30, 2023, the Council calls, in particular, Algeria, the main party to this dispute, to take part in the third round table, within the framework of the exclusively UN political process. ‘What Algiers unfortunately refuses, thus preventing the resumption of this political process.’

‘The claim of th
e Algerian ambassador that +his country spares no effort to respond to the needs of Sahrawi refugees+ is a pure lie,’ stated ambassador Hilale, noting that Algeria ‘violates the most basic rights of these populations and even deprives them of international humanitarian aid, which is systematically looted by the leaders of the separatist armed group +polisario+ and those in charge of the Algerian Red Crescent.’

He noted that these systematic misappropriations have been confirmed, with supporting evidence, by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), as well as by the United Nations World Food Program, in its January 2023 report, entitled +Evaluation of Algeria WFP Interim Country Strategic Plan 2019-2022+.

Morocco’s ambassador further stated that the Tindouf camps are militarized, in violation of international humanitarian law which requires the maintenance and preservation of the civilian character of refugee camps throughout the world.

Algeria, ‘which always prides itself on respecting its sovereignty, never
theless delegates its sovereign prerogatives to an armed group linked to terrorism +polisario+, by ceding part of its territory, the Tindouf camps. This is strongly condemned by the United Nations Human Rights Committee and other UN and international bodies, as contrary to international law,’ he said.

Omar Hilale concluded that the Kingdom of Morocco strongly hopes that the Algerian ambassador devotes himself more to the urgent peace and security crises which concern the international community, than to the promotion of his country’s political agenda against its neighbor, Morocco.

The letter addressed by Ambassador Hilale to the president and members of the UN Security Council will be published as an official document of the UN body.

Source: Agence Marocaine De Presse

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Cap Draa in Tan-Tan: ‘African Lion 2024’ Exercise Wraps up


Cap Draa (Tan-Tan) – The combined Moroccan-American exercise ‘African Lion 2024’ wrapped up on Friday at Cap Draa (north of Tan-Tan), with air and ground military maneuvers involving units from the Royal Armed Forces and the US armed forces.

During the maneuvers, which took place in the presence of Lieutenant General Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces and Commander of the South Zone, and Army General Michael Langley, Commander of the United States Africa Command (US AFRICOM), military units carried out major ground maneuvers using F16 aircraft belonging to the Royal Air Force.

With artillery support, joint ground operations were also conducted against a potential enemy. These maneuvers also included the use of HIMARS missile launchers. A Puma helicopter was also used to evacuate casualties from the battlefield.

General Langley told the press after the air and ground maneuvers that Exercise African Lion is a pioneering multinational exercise that facilitates regional cooperation and partnerships be
tween the various participants.

He added that this year is very special as it marks the 20th anniversary of the ‘African Lion’ exercise involving Moroccan and international partners to establish constructive regional cooperation and reinforce mutual support.

He pointed out that this exercise has grown over the years since 2004, not only in terms of the number of military personnel taking part, but also by expanding the scope of maneuvers.

For his part, Colonel Major Fouad Gourani of the Royal Armed Forces underlined that the ‘African Lion’ exercise is one of the most significant aspects of joint military cooperation between the Royal Armed Forces and the US Army, which dates back many years and reflects the distinguished relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and the United States of America.

He added that this year’s edition marks the 20th anniversary of this exercise, which has achieved its objectives as a basis for military cooperation in the field of training, and as an example of the distinguished
relationship between the Royal Armed Forces and the US Army, marked by trust, serious commitment and efficiency in developing and strengthening common defense mechanisms and the strategic partnership between the two countries.

On an international and continental level, he said, ‘African Lion’ is the largest military exercise on the African continent, and an opportunity for more than 20 countries working to raise their level of preparedness to face the challenges that can affect security and peace, both on a continental and international level.

In a statement to MAP, Lieutenant-Colonel Imad Idrissi, in charge of logistical support for ‘African Lion’ operations, said the training demonstrated the importance of operational planning, particularly logistical coordination, which are considered essential elements in the success of these multinational maneuvers.

He added that the ‘African Lion’ exercise was an opportunity to test and apply modern approaches and technologies linked to interoperability, and a means
of improving the response speed of logistics support units, particularly in a joint operational framework involving several forces.

For his part, Staff Sergeant David Rodriguez, of the US forces, expressed his delight at taking part in this military exercise with his Moroccan counterparts, adding that his participation had enabled him to discover the Kingdom.

Colonel Mike Weinsman, of the US forces, said that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the African Lion exercise, which began as a small exercise between Morocco and the United States and has now become the largest maneuver on the African continent.

He added that the exercise involves 27 countries from four continents.

The combined Moroccan-American exercise ‘African Lion 2024’ was launched on May 20 at the Southern Zone Command in Agadir, and took place in several regions of the Kingdom, including Cap Draa in Tan-Tan, Benguerir, Agadir, Akka and Tafnit, with the participation of around 7,000 members of the armed forces of some 20 countries, in a
ddition to the Royal Armed Forces and US forces, as well as military observers from 7 countries: Angola, Gabon, Zambia, Senegal, Cameroon, United Arab Emirates and France.

The program for the 20th edition of the ‘African Lion 2024’ exercise included joint land, sea and air tactical exercises, both day and night, a Special Forces Exercise and operations for airborne forces, as well as a ‘Task Force’ operational planning exercise.

It also included academic and counter-weapons-of-mass-destruction training, as well as a package of medical, surgical and social services provided by a military field hospital for the people of the Akka region.

The ‘African Lion 2024’ exercise, the largest of its kind in Africa, contributes to strengthening operational, technical and procedural interoperability between the participating armies, and remains an important event where military executives meet to exchange procedures and experiences, particularly in the field of combined joint training.

This twentieth edition bears witn
ess to the sustainability of the cooperation between the FAR and the US Armed Forces, reflecting the strong historical ties that bind the two countries.

Source: Agence Marocaine De Presse

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